Ten Things You Can Do
1. Study your local newspaper and the pertinent journals. Know what kinds of things they cover, (and don't cover) and how they do it. Be ready to say: "This might make a good notice for your X page, a good story for your Y series, or a good follow-up to your recent article on Z."
2. Appeal to a publication's sense of mission (rather than its sense of charity). Most publications would prefer to think that they’re informing or delighting their readers rather than that they’re helping your group.
3. Bring your group to the attention of the local newspaper on every possible occasion. Send a well-crafted press release whenever there’s anything to report; plans, programs, people, accomplishments. Send a covering letter, addressed to the proper person, saying that you thought they’d like to know about this. Offer to expand on anything in person or on the telephone, if more information is wanted.
4. Make a friend of a particular reporter or editor. Say that you liked a recent story done my this person, and offer to explain what’s happening at your place; suggest that you meet. Even if it’s not a story at the outset, it may be one later if this reporter takes a liking to your group and claims this turf, bringing it back to an editor-in-chief as a personal discovery. (I call this process “taking a reporter to lunch,” but you don’t have to buy the lunch, don’t have to “do” lunch.”
5. Write letters to the editor at any opportunity. Letters make a publication feel good; people are actually reading it. Try to be complimentary; you’re glad to see the subject covered(even if you think, privately, that it was covered badly). Do your best to be reasonable even if you’re steaming mad. Make your points briefly. End on a positive note. You’re really addressing the readers, not the editor. Try not to sound like a raving lunatic.
6. Suggest that a publication is missing the boat if it doesn’t do something on your group’s activities. Explain that you’re part of a growing movement, and provide the back-up materials (from national publications) to prove it.
7. Be persistent without being pushy. Your first letters. calls, press releases, may bring no response. But people move on. Other people get hired. Things change. People change. Keep at it.
8. Be Helpful. Supply source material aplenty. Your information can be useful as background material, to educate the reporter, or as substantive material, to provide authoritative quotes. Explain on a Post-It Note™ what you’re providing: “this was the earliest mention of X in our annual report,” or “This is the clearest statement by our Board of Directors on Y,” or “This was good article on Z in USA Today.”
9. Be forthcoming in an interview. You’ll always be telling a reporter more than can be used, but don’t be shy; keep talking. You’re not there just to answer questions; you have a powerful opportunity to education someone. (“That’s certainly an important question but perhaps an even more important one is this....”)
10. Always remember that the media aren’t there for you; you are there for the media. Think what would make good copy for them, or good visual material. (They love controversy, but you don’t ha to oblige. They also love neat ideas, new programs, hard-working volunteers, lovable animals.
Ten Things You Must Never Do
1. Don’t assume that you need a high-priced PR person working for your group. You can get media time and space by yourselves, just being yourselves.
2. Don’t give the same story to competing publications. Press releases are critters of a different color and can go out to anyone and everyone. Similarly, public events are open to all. But don’t work with competing publications, for instance, on a story that goes behind the scenes of a successful new program, or a story that follows a particular animal to a successful new life.
3. Don’t supply incorrect Information. It damages your credibility, at the very least, and it can make the writer very cross with you if it looks like the writer got it wrong. If you can’t answer a question, say that you’re not sure but that you’ll check. Or suggest an alternate source for the information.
4. Don’t delay in responding to anything asked of you. If you’ve promised to send something, send it. (Or contact the writer to say that you can’t.) If you're late, a writer may or may not get mack to you; some, with deadlines or with too much material already, won’t.
5. Don’t say anything that you wouldn’t be happy to see on page one. Keep your cool. This is not a friend, not a confidant. This is a working journalist sniffing around for a hotter story than may ne there. Be especially careful when a reporter asks you a tough question and then shuts up and lets you ramble (one of the oldest tricks in the book, but one that almost everyone falls for).
6. Don’t project a “know-it-all” image. Never look down on the reporter who is asking dumb questions (and may be doing so, quite properly, in order to get a good grounding in the subject.” You can be authoritative without being arrogant.
7. Don’t be surprised if your request to see advance copy goes unanswered. Writers are funny about this. You can ask, even suggesting that you only want to head off any possible errors, and that you have no intention of commenting on the articles’ coverage or tone or opinions. But don’t get huffy. Get comfortable; you’ll see the piece when it’s published.
8. Don’t forget to thank everyone. Thank a reporter personally, in a letter, and perhaps also reporters or editors you’ve dealt with. This tends to get back to them. If you’ve had a bad experience, try to forget it. Make the next one better
9. Don’t be discouraged if a published piece is somewhat unfavorable. People have short memories. Try again.
10. Don’t think that all is lost if the story is incomplete or it has unfortunate errors. People don’t always register what they’ve read. And you can get another bit of publicity hen you write the (moderate) letter to the editor correcting the errors or placing the story in its larger context.
The bottom line is this: Do it. Do it well. It’s for the animals. Good luck.
About the author: Ellen Perry Berkeley, author of the award-winning Maverick Cats: Encounters with Feral Cats, has written about feral cats for many years. Her article in the September 1984 Cat Fancy was the first in an American publication to cover Trap-Neuter-Return. Ellen writes on various subjects on a freelance basis. Her publishing background includes years as a senior editor of the Arhitectural Forum, and she has served on the Scientific Advisory boad of Alley Cat Allies since its formation.
This article was written by Ellen Perry Berkeley for a No-Kill Conference sponsored by Doing Things for Animals, held in Concord, CA.
